Spirit of Christmas - Part 6
by Melissa Rivers
Summary: It's nearly Christmas in the ER and a few surprises abound


SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS  
by Missy  
(missy@lexicon.net)  
  
DISLCAIMER: The characters of ER are the property of Michael  
Crichton, Warner Bros., Constant Productions and Amblin Television  
and the actors who so marvellously portray them.  
  
Any comments and/or constructive criticism will be gratefully received  
at the above e-mail address.  
  
PART 6/?  
  
Noticing an ambulance pulling up in the ambulance bay, Kerry and Anna  
grabbed gloves from the desk. By the time they reached the entrance, the  
paramedics were pushing the elderly man on the trolley through the door.   
They had him in a sitting position giving his oxygen through a nasal  
cannula.   
  
The paramedic gave the bullet. "John Carter, 76 years old collapsed at  
a union meeting. Brief loss of consciousness at scene and altered on our  
arrival. Vitals are normal."  
  
"Randi, what's open."  
  
"Exam 6"  
  
"I want you to call Dr. Levy. He's my personal physician."   
  
Kerry looked across at the autocratic gentleman, his demeanour  
indicating that he was used to having his instructions obeyed. "I will  
contact him once we have some test results." She replied as they moved  
the guerney alongside the bed in Exam 6.   
  
"Mr. Carter, could you slide across onto the bed." asked Anna as she  
helped him across with the assistance of Malik and Yoshi. The  
paramedics left them, handing the chart to Kerry as they left.  
  
"If you won't contact Dr. Levy, can you at least get my grandson, Dr.  
John Carter. He works in the ER." He said gruffly.  
  
Anna and Kerry looked across at each other. "Anna, can you get Dr.  
Carter and let him know his grandfather is here." Her words also warned  
her to make sure Carter was aware of his grandfather's current condition.  
  
"CBC, Chem 7, cardiac enzymes, serum, haemoglobin and 12 lead  
EKG." Kerry ordered as she removed her stethoscope from around her  
neck to listed to his chest.   
  
Malik went to get the EKG and Anna to locate Carter.  
  
- 0 0 0 -  
  
Anna found Carter in Curtain 3 treating a victim of gang bashing with  
multiple lacerations and rib fractures. He was carefully suturing up one  
of the deep cuts on his face when she arrived.  
  
"Carter, Dr. Weaver wants to see you."   
  
"Okay. I'll just finish this." He responded, finishing the last of the  
sutures above the man's eye. "Lily can you finish up here."  
  
Lily nodded, taking over as Carter pulled off his gloves, dropping them  
in the contaminated waste bag.  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"In Exam 6. She's got a probable MI on a 76 year old male. He  
collapsed at a meeting after complaining of chest pains." Anna kept her  
pace slow deliberately, ensuring that he would have time to get all the  
details. "There was a loss of consciousness at the scene but vitals are  
within the normal range."  
  
"Why does she need me?" Carter asked, puzzled by the ordinary  
presentation.  
  
"John." Anna stopped as they reached the door to Exam 3. "The man  
I'm talking about is your grandfather."  
  
"Gramps." he whispered. He moved to the door to watch his  
grandfather's imposing figure lying back on the bed which was in an  
upright position. "How is he?"  
  
"Dr. Weaver's running the usual cardiac workup and an EKG."  
  
Carter nodded his head.   
  
"John, he's been asking for you." Anna said softly placing a hand on his  
shoulder for support. Pulling himself together, he went into the room.  
  
- 0 0 0 -  
  
"Can I get some help. My mother's collapsed in my car." The young  
man in his early twenties was in a state of agitation, worried over his  
mother's condition.   
  
"Someone get a gurney, c-collar and backboard." called out Maggie as  
she went to the young man's aid. "What's your name?"  
  
"Daniel."  
  
"Okay Daniel. Where's your car?"  
  
Maggie followed Daniel as he left the emergency room to the street  
where he had left his car double-parked with its hazard lights flashing.   
Sam and Carol followed pushing a gurney.  
  
"What happened?" Maggie asked as she opened the passenger door to  
find a middle-aged woman with heavy bruising and contusions to her  
face.  
  
"My father beat her. I wasn't there at the time but came home and found  
her beaten up. She was awake until a few minutes ago." Daniel's voice  
was shaking with fear.  
  
Maggie bent down to give her a quick check before they moved her to  
the trolley. She shivered in the cold as it seeped through her thin white  
lab coat. Sam handed her the c-collar and she affixed it after having  
checked for good breath sounds.  
  
"Okay, let's move her."   
  
Manoeuvring the trolley closer to the car, Carol held it in place while  
Sam and Maggie moved her from the car to the gurney and wheeled her  
inside and down towards Trauma One.   
  
Jerry caught the son before he followed them. "Sir, if we could just get  
some details. The doctors will take care of your mother."  
  
Daniel looked anxiously after her, wanting to go and see what the  
doctors were doing. Jerry handed him some forms and a pen, sitting him  
within sight of the doors of the Trauma room.  
  
- 0 0 0 -  
  
"Where is she?" the burly man exploded, landing his large hands on the  
desk with a resounding bang.  
  
"Excuse me?" Randi asked, unsure what was the matter and who the  
man was after.  
  
"My wife. Ella Sanders. Where is she?" he blasted.   
  
At the sound of the voice of his father, Daniel came out of Trauma One  
to the front of the central work station. "You leaver her alone. Haven't  
you done enough already?" He stood up to his father, not allowing his  
father's immense bulk to deter him from protecting his mother.  
  
"I will see her. She is MY wife. I've got rights."  
  
"You have denied your rights when you hit her." Daniel exploded.  
  
Randi picked up the phone and called security. The situation was  
electric between father and son. It did not take a mathematician to work  
out who would be worse off if it came to a fight.  
  
Kate came forward to try to dispel the impending clash. "Mr. Sanders,  
your wife is trying to rest at the moment. I'm sure that she would rest  
much more comfortably if you would lower your voice and calm down."   
Her Irish lilt caressed the words. Patients and relatives often found her  
soft tones a reassurance.   
  
"No. You are not stopping me. I want to see her now." He shoved both  
his son and Kate sideways as he went back down to Trauma One where  
his son had come from. His feet hit the ground hard and he slammed  
open the swinging doors.  
  
"What the heck?" Maggie said as the doors slammed open. "Who are  
you?"  
  
"I'm her husband." he responded gruffly.  
  
"I don't think you have retained the right to be called that." Maggie  
replied matter-of-factly."  
  
"But she's mine."  
  
"No. Mr. Sanders. She's not yours. She is not a possession you  
purchase. She is a human being who you have beaten severely. She has  
the right to be safe and live without the fear of being hit by you." Maggie  
pointed out standing him off squarely.  
  
It was obvious that he had not been stood up to by a woman before,  
especially not one as forthright as Maggie Doyle.  
  
"I - I - I didn't mean to hurt her." he stammered. "She just....." The large  
man dissolved into tears, his bulky body shinking at the sight of the  
broken body of his wife on the table before him.  
  
Security arrived at that moment. Maggie indicated for them that the  
situation was under control but to remain within arms reach.  
  
"Carol. 5 migs of ativan."   
  
Moving carefully, Carol filled the syringe and passed it to Maggie for  
administration.  
  
"Mr. Sanders. I'm going to give you something to make you feel a bit  
better." Maggie approached him slowly, not wanting to make any  
sudden movements to set him off again. Holding his arm gently, she  
squeezed his hand as he allowed her to give him the shot.  
  
"I'll get a gurney for him." Carol said leaving the room.   
  
- 0 0 0 -  
  
  
"Mark. We need you out here." Chuny interrupted him as he was  
consulting a chart with Ashlea and checking over the patient.   
  
"Give her a further mig of ativan." he finished with Ashlea, signing off  
the chart and handing it back to her. He followed Chuny out of the  
Exam room. "What is it?"  
  
"We've had an incident in the hall. Kate's been knocked unconscious by  
an enraged relative."  
Chuny led the way to where they had Kate in the curtain area on a  
gurney.  
  
"What happened?" Mark asked concerned.  
  
"The guy had bashed his wife earlier. His son brought her in for  
treatment and the husband followed. He was half drunk and abusive.   
Kate tried to calm him down but he just pushed her aside. She collected  
the wall and a cart as she fell." Chuny gave him all the details.  
  
"Where is she?"   
  
"Curtain 4"   
  
"Did you call security?"  
  
"Yeah but Maggie had already subdued the guy and gave him a shot of  
ativan. The police are coming to charge him on aggravated assault on  
both Kate and his wife. They're watching him until the police arrive."  
  
Jeanie was beside the gurney checking Kate's vitals when Mark came to  
Curtain 4.  
  
"How is she?" He asked concerned. Looking at Kate, he noticed the  
wound above her eye and the beginnings of bruising extending from the  
wound and down her cheek.   
  
"She's just come to now. LOC of about four minutes. BP's 100 over 70,  
Pulse 70. Pupils are equal and reactive. Deep lac above the eye.   
Probably need sutures." Jeanie informed him.   
  
The fact that she had only regained consciousness explained why she  
seemed altered. "Hi Kate. Been picking on our clientele again?" Mark  
joked with her, flashing his light in her eyes.  
  
Kate smiled. "Yeah. Next time I think I'll stick to someone more my  
own size." She coughed as she finished the sentence, her breathing a bit  
wheezy.  
  
Mark noted the sound and began to check her breathing. "Kate, take a  
deep breath and then out for me." She complied with his instructions.   
"You're a bit congested."  
  
"Yeah. I've been having trouble with the asthma with the current  
weather."   
  
Checking that she wasn't dizzy from the trauma to her head. "Jeanie,  
let's sit her up and give salbutamol by mask over fifteen minutes. Half-  
hourly obs. The lac will require stitches." Mark filled out the chart,  
handing it back across to Jeanie. "Kate, I'll check on you later."  
  
"Thanks Mark." She winced when she nodded her head in  
acknowledgement, a headache pulsating from just behind her right eye.  
  
Leaving Jeanie to take care of the treatment, he returned to the central  
work station, finding Randi talking to Al Grabovski and his partner.   
  
"Randi, could you get me the forms for an incident report."   
  
"Already prepared for you." she replied as she handed him the forms in  
triplicate. "I've filled out the basics."  
  
Mark smiled gratefully. "Great." Turning to Al. "Are you here for the  
husband?"  
  
"Yeah. Randi's told us where we can find him. Nasty business." Al was  
glad that it had not been his wife who had been hit. "Randi was just  
telling us about how your doctor stopped him."  
  
"I'd like to hear about it. Where's Doyle?" Mark directed the question  
at Randi.  
  
"Still in Trauma Two with the wife."  
  
Entering Trauma Two, he found Maggie just completing her examination  
and waiting for the arrival of the portable chest and CT.  
  
"Maggie, what's the story?"  
  
"Ella Sanders, 52 year old woman bashed by her husband. Suspected  
fractures of the upper clavical and ribs, broken cheek bone and wrist.   
Multiple lacs and brusing restricted to the head arms and torso. Looks  
like he beat and kicked the hell out of her. I'm just waiting on a portable  
chest and CT now."  
  
"What did you do to subdue the husband? Chuny said he was drunk and  
abusive." Mark was curious. Although Doyle was by no means short,  
she wasn't the type he would have thought could subdue an abusive  
drunk, particularly one who had inflicted those injuries on his own wife.  
  
"I know. But I didn't really need to do anything. He just broke down  
when he saw what he had done to his wife. I gave him a dose of ativan  
to keep him calm. Security's watching him until the police arrive."   
Doyle was her usual matter-of-fact self, the whole drama not having  
fazed her at all.  
  
"They're taking him now."   
  
"Good. How's Kate?" Doyle had heard from the nurses that she had  
been knocked out.  
  
"Deep lac to the head and she'll probably have a headache into next  
week from the bruising she's got." Mark commented.  
  
"I wish I had knocked him out." Maggie said forcefully. "He deserves  
it."  
  
"Now Doyle, we are here to repair violence not to create it." Although  
he uttered the words, he knew what it felt like to want to give back some  
of what had been received by patients and staff at the hands of these  
violent individuals.  
  
Maggie smiled. "I know."  
  
- 0 0 0 -  
  
Jerry noticed the teenager pacing outside the emergency doors again,  
conspicuous because of his lightweight jacket in the bitter cold. He was  
about to call security to check the kid out when he disappeared. He  
decided to wait and see if the kid returned before calling security.  
  
Shaking his head, he went back to clearing the clutter at the central work  
station ensuring files and results were compiled together, clearing the  
debris of left over coffee cups. The night was just beginning. At 10.00  
p.m., a small trail of walking wounded began to fill the vacant seats,  
victims of stabbings, bar fights and unique dares.  
  
Sorting out the procedural manuals, Jerry once again caught sight of the  
teenager out of the corner of his eye as he passed the central work station.   
  
  
"Hey. Can I help you?" Jerry called out.  
  
The teenager swung around to face him at the sound of his voice, lifting  
up his hand straight in front of him. Jerry froze as he saw the .38  
automatic pointing directly at him from the boy's hand. Before he had  
a chance to move, a shot was fired and a cherry blossom of red swelled  
in the middle of his chest. He collapsed to the floor, his head connecting  
with the desk as he fell.  
  
Randi hit the floor at the sound of the shot with a smothered scream,  
scuttling over to where Jerry lay and keeping out of sight of the shooter.  
  
The sound of the gut shot brought staff out into the hallway providing the  
teenager with more potential victims. Random shots were fired into the  
waiting area and hallway, bodies dropping to the ground as the volleys  
hit each target, the area quickly resembling a war zone. Glass shattered  
as shots went wild.   
  
END PART 6/?  



End file.
